Budget Debate: Jamaica building region’s premier logistics hub, says Holness

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness during his contribution to the 2026/27 Budget Debate in Parliament on Thursday. Photo: Garfield Robinson Latest News, News March 22, 2026 Budget Debate: Jamaica building region’s premier logistics hub, says Holness KINGSTON, Jamaica — When completed, the US$80 million Westlands Project that is currently underway will put Jamaica on course to having the largest concentration of near-port logistics lands anywhere in the Caribbean, according to Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness. The prime minister shared that once the “transformational project” is completed, it will add 15 hectares to the Kingston Freeport Terminal, increasing cargo storage capacity by more than 25 per cent.

He was speaking in the House of Representatives on March 19 during his contribution to the 2026/27 Budget Debate.

He said Jamaica was pushing to have the region’s premier logistics hub.

“The Port of Kingston is now one of the fastest-growing ports in the entire hemisphere, and we are determined to ensure that our infrastructure keeps pace with that growth. We are undertaking a series of transformational projects that together will create the largest concentration of near-port logistics lands anywhere in the Caribbean,” Holness told the House, noting that the first of these is the Westlands Project. The second involves realignment of Marcus Garvey Drive to the northeast of Tinson Pen and the incorporation of the Tinson Pen lands into an expanded near-port logistics corridor.

The prime minister noted that a portion of these lands is already being actively utilised for automobile logistics — “a clear signal of Kingston’s emergence as a regional hub in this dynamic sector, and a preview of the far greater potential that lies ahead”. The prime minister highlighted that inadequate drainage infrastructure along this corridor has resulted in disruption of operations from even moderate rainfall.

He said the National Works Agency, in collaboration with local and international consultants, has completed comprehensive studies for a drainage system designed to efficiently convey storm water to Hunt’s Bay.

“We will move decisively under Na

RRA (National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority) to finalise the designs and implement this solution,” he said. Holness also pointed out that the Government is currently investing $1.3 billion in critical works along sections of the Sandy Gully. “Through Na

RRA, we will programme additional major improvement works to strengthen the Sandy Gully corridor,” he said. Noting that it is the primary drainage system for the Kingston Metropolitan Area and that it was built over six decades ago, Holnes the prime minister stated that “no infrastructure project is more urgently needed, or more consequential, than the rehabilitation of the Sandy Gully which is the city’s main line of defence against flooding”.